With the globalisation of business and the speed in which the competitive environment can change, organisations are looking for ways in which to better meet the diverse and often specific information needs of employee, suppliers, customers and other important stakeholders.
More specifically, organisations are looking to provide users with a ‘single view’ of information, aggregate corporate information into one system for detailed reporting purposes, personalise data visualisation to the exact needs of the user and reduce the requirement to log into multiple applications for information retrieval and processing.
In response to these challenges, web portals are cited as an ideal technology choice to address these often complex and difficult requirements. This will come as no surprise to many as portal solutions offer the flexibility and scalability to grow and change with the needs of an organisation.
What are the drivers for web portals?
The business case for developing and deploying a web portal will often start with a single ‘pain’ or ‘flash point’, but it is important to fully establish the everyday drivers that are creating a very real need for web portal development. These can vary depending on the nature of the organisation, the environment in which it operates and its objectives.
However, these drivers usually derive from: an organisation operating across multiple locations with disparate teams and systems; the need for interaction with external stakeholders such as suppliers or customers; the need to reduce the number of primary system licenses in use; the need for greater access and visibility of information; or to improve business agility by bypassing access to primary systems.
Which web portal platform is right for your business?
Understanding the type of web portal platform your organisation needs is critical to the future shape of the project and will help identify the likely scope for the project. In terms of web portal types (business portals) they can be broadly categorised into two distinct categories – either vertical (focussed on a specific business function such as accounting, HR or service management) or horizontal (the ability to see aggregated data from multiple applications via a single view).
Web portal ‘buy in’ also needs cultivation and this not only starts at the very beginning of the project but during the build and after deployment. Softer benefits can be easily extracted following a web portal deployment such as user satisfaction, data access and basic user login stats. However, steps should be taken to measure the more tangible benefits of the web portal.
There are a number of factors to consider when selecting the right web portal solution for your organisation and the criteria for selection will vary depending on your requirement. Download our eBook to learn more about web portals and make sure that your final choice is future proof. The eBook will help you:
- Justify your web portal project by assisting you in the identification of your business drivers
- Classify the type of web portal application you require
- Identify your web portal user types and the project team required to deliver a successful project
- Understand and document all the data sources that will populate your web portal and determine where one-way or two-way data integration and synchronisation will be required
- Address web portal user buy in and construct ways to monitor its impact
- Select the right web portal development company and solution for your organisation
- Develop an on-going web portal strategy
